Protector
by PureVampWolf24
Summary: 'I barely register the fleeting feeling of relief. At least now I can protect her. I can make sure one of us will get out alive.'   Just a short piece, about what Thresh is thinking as he sees Rue walk up to the stage.
1. Protect

**A/N: Hello there! This is a Hunger Games one-shot. Thank you to my friend Shanna for introducing me to these amazing books. I feel an obession coming on. I'm working on other fics, but I've been dying to try Thresh, so... Taz-daz! **

I watch as the little girl walks slowly up to the stage.

She's so small.

Rue.

I know her. She works in the orchards, leaping from branch to branch, tree to tree. She whistles at 5 o'clock every evening, signalling it's time to go home. Her voice is like caramel, soft and sweet, and even the birds stop their chirping to listen. The mockingjays pause and then repeat her song. They build it up, harmonising, growing louder.

It's phenomenal.

And here she is now. Walking to her death.

I watch as Gregor Marchbank shoves his hand into the boy's box, looking for a name.

Everyone is still as the tribute is revealed.

It's me.

I am the boy tribute for District 11.

I am going to take part in the 74th Hunger Games.

With her. Rue.

I barely register the fleeting feeling of relief. At least now I can protect her. I can make sure one of us will get out alive. She has family, I know she does. A brother and three sisters, I think. At least she has her parents.

That is more than I will ever have.

She glances at me, her brown eyes wide. Is she scared of me? I don't want her to be. I want her to know that I will watch over her, keep her safe. I smile, just enough so that she sees. She blinks and the fear in her eyes is replaced by hope.

I look away.

I will make sure that little girl goes home.

I will proctect her.

**A/N: I know that was quite short, but I think it was enough for now. I'll probably try another, longer one at a later date. I've got Hunger Games on the brain at the moment. Please review, as any comments are welcome. xx**


	2. Powerless

**A/N: I was gonna write a sequel, but instead it turned into a chapter. It just seemed that more could be written. Thresh is such a great character to write. There WILL be ONE more chapter after this and then I will stop, promise. Anyways, enjoy! xx  
**

I find that when I arrive for training, she is already there, hidden in a corner. Watching the others.

Our mentor said that we were to look indifferent to each other.

Hell with that.

I walk up to her, frowning at the pair of eyes I can feel watching me. She nods, but doesn't make eye contact. I grunt and her eyes flick to mine for a second.

It's enough.

She a proper little actress, that one. And a good little girl, listening to Forrest. Doing what she says. Being indifferent.

Suppose it makes it easier.

If the other tributes don't think we're close, they won't target one of us to get to the other. It's a good game plan and I intend to stick to it.

She's lucky it's a good plan. I don't like Forrest and would take any opportunity to annoy her. Guess I'll have to do it some other way.

The head trainer, Atala, I think her name is, starts to speak and the tributes turn their attention to her words. We are not allowed to train with another tribute. That is what the assistants are for. Shame. My gaze keeps flicking to another boy, District 2 the tag on his shirt says, and I size him up. He's bulky, with dark hair and an impressive set of muscles. We're about matched for size.

But I don't like my chances.

So I stay away from him as the tributes choose their first stations. Eventually, the only ones still standing in the middle of the room are the District 12 tributes and me. I move quickly to one of the stations, not caring which one it is.

Camouflage.

Well, I suppose learning to hide myself might be smart. After all, I'm not the smallest. So I try to listen to the trainers advice and mix colours on my arm, looking at how the browns and greens blend to create leaf matter.

After a while, a bell sounds and we are dismissed. I head to my room, to wash the paint off. I didn't want to hang around in the Training Centre any longer anyway. I take a shower and experiment with the buttons, watching as bright streams of liquid burst from holes in the wall.

I come out smelling of wild flowers and bubblegum.

Well, I assure myself, I could smell of worse things. I _have _smelled of worse things. So just be grateful.

When I enter for dinner and sit next to Rue she nods politely.

Uh, no. In front of everyone else, we can look like we don't give a damn. Not here. Not when it's just us.

"Hello, Rue."

The first words I've said to her. Forrest narrows her eyes, but doesn't protest. Smart.

The little girl studies me. Eventually she says, "Hello, Thresh. Good shower?"

I don't want the colour to rise in my cheeks, but it does. "Yes. Thanks."

Well, what am I meant to say to that? I smell like a girl! I sniff subtly, trying to smell her, but all that fills my nostrils is bubblegum. She smiles, and I can't help the wry grin that creeps onto my face.

She's so hard not to like.

Even if she hasn't said more than two sentences to me yet.

I try to think of something to say, but she saves me the trouble.

"You're the boy that carries the carts, aren't you?" Her brow is furrowed in rememberance. She looks so sweet.

"Yes. And you're the girl that picks the apples. And sings."

She nods and whistles the tune that signals quitting time. I've listened to that more times than I can remember.

I smile and she stops, focusing on her plate once more. But a grin remains on her face.

We lapse into silence, and I marvel over the dishes in front of me. Stews, risottos, soups, all waiting to be eaten. But I pace myself, and it's a good thing I do, because I barely manage the apple crumble and ice-cream at the end.

After dinner, we say goodnight and head to our rooms. In a strange fit of unease, I walk Rue to her door, pausing outside to study her silently. She yawns and rubs her eyes and I'm struck by how young she looks.

I sigh. "Goodnight, Rue."

She looks up and the ghost of a smile appears on her thin face.

"I trust you, Thresh."

She disappears, closing the bedroom door behind her and I'm left feeling powerless for the first time in my life.

**A/N: I'm not sure if I'm happy with this. Hmm... Well, please review! xx**


	3. Patience

**A/N: Ok, final chapter. I think. I know the chapters have jumped a bit - the reaping, the training centre(ish), and now... well, read and find out, but I hope it still works. You'll tell me if it doesn't, right? 'Couple of things might not add up, so a massive sorry in advance! So... **

**Ooh, disclaimer! - I don't really own any of this. My portrayal of Thresh and the others are my own, but Suzanne Collins is the real woman to thank. She's amazing, isn't she? Anyways, enjoy! x**

The sixty seconds are almost up.

Where should I run to? There's a yellow backpack to my left. I bet I could grab it and run. But what's in it? I need a weapon. Obviously, they're all closer to the Cornucopia. I really don't want to take chances.

What about Rue? I can't leave her. She's so small, she won't last the first few minutes if she gets caught in the bloodbath.

I need to decide. There's a void behind me, a sparse wood in front and to the side. A lake to the side. The shining horn of the Cornucopia in the middle.

Decide. Decide now.

Just as the gong rings out, I make up my mind. The void.

I call to Rue, and she pauses for a split second before dodging an attack and racing to the woods.

I huff in exasperation. How am I meant to help her if she runs in the opposite direction?

Well, there's no time to think as I grab the backpack and jump into the empty space...

Thank God. It's just fields. I can see why none of the other tributes are following me. These tall grasses could hold anything. They come up to just below my shoulders, but that's because I'm tall. I'll take the risk, I guess.

I roll and get up, glancing over my shoulder anyway. Should I keep going? Or will people expect that? I didn't think being on camera would bother me, but apparently it does.

I start walking, hunched over slightly to hide the rest of me, and consider the current situation.

I have food; at least some of these never ending fields must have edible produce. I have relative cover; the grasses will provide a wall as long as I stay low. I have stuff in the backpack, but I doubt any of that will be really _useful._ I don't have shelter.

Hm. That might be a slight problem.

All I can do is keep going and hope to find something by evening. Rue will be okay. She's smart. She'll hold on until I find her.

_If you find her. _How big is this arena? How long might it take to find little Rue, hiding up in a tree somewhere? She could be miles away by now.

The Careers will have set up camp. By the lake, I bet. Hoarding the remaining supplies. Dividing up watches. The smart ones might be setting traps. That boy from District 2 - Cato, his name is - will be ordering the others around.

I shiver suddenly, pulling my jacket more tightly around me. I hadn't noticed before, but it is windy. The tall grasses are swaying like mad.

I need to stop, to find cover. But all I can see is grass. Fields for miles. I could make a sheet out of the reeds, if I had to...

My pack. Why didn't I think of it before?

I drop, crouching, to inspect the contents of the yellow fabric. I was wrong before, about there being nothing useful. An airtight bag of dry meat and fruit. An empty water bottle (too much to ask for a full one, huh?). A torch. Night-vision glasses - yes! (We have these at home, for long nights in the trees, meeting quotas). A bottle of Iodine for purifying water. And a thick dark blue material...

A sleeping bag! A roomy one, at that. Just what I need.

I pack the supplies back up and hoist them onto my shoulder, looking around. I can't see anything odd. Maybe just a bit further, though, to be sure...

I end up at a stream. It must get it's water from the big lake. Either way, I fill my bottle and add a few drops of Iodine. Another half hour and I can drink it.

Well, here's as good a place as any I suppose.

I sit down and listen. If I listen really hard, I think I can hear fighting still going on at the Cornucopia. How long have I been walking? How many are there? Maybe they're amplifying it.

It's possible.

Where is Rue? I hope she's ok. Now that I'm here, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to leave. She might have to find me. That fills me with too much gnawing worry. I _can't _leave her. I can't just sit here and expect her to make her way to me. That's awful.

It's too late to do anything now. It'll start getting dark soon; moving around, even with night-vision glasses, would be stupid.

So I settle in my sleeping bag, and wait.

**A/N: Not sure if I like the ending, but I felt that this was stretching a bit (it's a massive chapter compared to the other two!), and I'm loathed to do another chapter, so... This is it for now. I could maybe do a sequel if you support the idea?... ahem. Anyway.**

**R & R pleasies! :) xx**


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